“Monthly Roundup #11: October 2023” by Zvi

It never stops. I’m increasingly building distinct roundups for various topics, in particular I’m splitting medical and health news out. Let's get to the rest of it.

Bad News

A simple model of why everything sucks: It is all optimized almost entirely for the marginal user, who the post calls Marl. Marl hates when there are extra buttons on the screen or any bit of complexity is offered, even when he is under zero obligation to use it or care, let alone being asked to think, so everything gets dumbed down.

Could companies really be this stupid, so eager to chase the marginal user a little bit more that they cripple the functionality of their products? Very much so, yes, well past the point where it makes financial sense to do so. The metrics form a tyranny, invisible costs are increasingly paid on the alter of visible [...]

---

Outline:

(00:17) Bad News

(03:30) Disunity

(11:38) Ban Gain of Function Research

(13:51) The Right Price to Be Willing to Pay is Not $0

(15:19) Opportunity Knocks

(15:33) Government Working

(17:07) Worthwhile Canadian Immigration

(20:58) People Don’t Do Things

(22:23) Thinking is Hard

(24:25) Satisfaction Guaranteed To Stay Around 83%

(26:50) Good News, Everyone

(33:07) The Ancient Art of Getting Through a Conversation

(35:31) Money Stuff

(44:32) Very High Marginal Tax Rates

(46:09) So Cold, So Alone

(49:14) While I Cannot Condone This

(55:46) Queue Technology

(57:34) Gamers Gonna Game Game Game Game Game

(01:05:01) The Lighter Side

---

First published:
October 3rd, 2023

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/LszTjZCb4toYrfiAh/monthly-roundup-11-october-2023

---

Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.